Bulgaria News and Discussions
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:58 pm
Bulgaria’s pro-western government collapses after just six months
Wed 22 Jun 2022
The Bulgarian government has collapsed in a no-confidence vote in parliament, throwing the European Union country into political turmoil amid the war in Ukraine and surging inflation.
Opposition lawmakers toppled the government of the prime minister, Kiril Petkov – which took power six months ago – by 123-116 in a vote after the ruling coalition lost its majority over disputes on budget spending and whether Bulgaria should unlock North Macedonia’s EU accession.
Petkov, a 42-year-old Harvard graduate who has pledged to combat corruption, has taken a strong pro-European and pro-Nato position since Russia invaded Ukraine, an unusual stance for a country with a traditionally friendly attitude toward Moscow. Analysts predict that a new government would bring a more neutral policy toward Russia.
“This vote is only one small step in a very long way,” Petkov said after the vote. “What they fail to understand is that this is not the way to win the Bulgarian people.“
The country now faces possibly its fourth general election since April 2021, putting at risk millions of euros from EU recovery funds and its plans to adopt the euro in 2024.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ril-petkov
Wed 22 Jun 2022
The Bulgarian government has collapsed in a no-confidence vote in parliament, throwing the European Union country into political turmoil amid the war in Ukraine and surging inflation.
Opposition lawmakers toppled the government of the prime minister, Kiril Petkov – which took power six months ago – by 123-116 in a vote after the ruling coalition lost its majority over disputes on budget spending and whether Bulgaria should unlock North Macedonia’s EU accession.
Petkov, a 42-year-old Harvard graduate who has pledged to combat corruption, has taken a strong pro-European and pro-Nato position since Russia invaded Ukraine, an unusual stance for a country with a traditionally friendly attitude toward Moscow. Analysts predict that a new government would bring a more neutral policy toward Russia.
“This vote is only one small step in a very long way,” Petkov said after the vote. “What they fail to understand is that this is not the way to win the Bulgarian people.“
The country now faces possibly its fourth general election since April 2021, putting at risk millions of euros from EU recovery funds and its plans to adopt the euro in 2024.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... ril-petkov